Experimental Investigation of Turbine Stage Flow Field and Performance at Varying Cavity Purge Rates and Operating Speeds

2017 ◽  
Vol 140 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan Dahlqvist ◽  
Jens Fridh

The aspect of hub cavity purge has been investigated in a high-pressure axial low-reaction turbine stage. The cavity purge is an important part of the secondary air system, used to isolate the cavities below the hub level from the hot main annulus flow. A full-scale cold-flow experimental rig featuring a rotating stage was used in the investigation, quantifying main annulus flow field impact with respect to purge flow rate as it was injected upstream of the rotor. Five operating speeds were investigated of which three with respect to purge flow, namely, a high loading design case, and two high-speed points encompassing the peak efficiency. At each of these operating speeds, the amount of purge flow was varied from 0% to 2%. Observing the effect of the purge rate on measurement plane averaged parameters, a minor flow angle decrease and Mach number increase is seen for the low speed case, while maintaining near constant values for the higher operating speeds. The prominent effect due to purge is seen in the efficiency, showing a linear sensitivity to purge of 1.3%-points for every 1% of added purge flow for the investigated speeds. While spatial average values of flow angle and Mach number are essentially unaffected by purge injection, important spanwise variations are observed and highlighted. The secondary flow structure is strengthened in the hub region, leading to a generally increased over-turning and lowered flow velocity. Meanwhile, the added volume flow through the rotor leads to higher outlet flow velocities visible at higher span, with associated decreased turning. A radial efficiency distribution is utilized, showing negative impact through span heights from 15% to 70%. Pitchwise variation of investigated flow parameters is significantly influenced by purge flow, making this a parameter to include for instance when evaluating benefits of stator clocking positions.

Author(s):  
Johan Dahlqvist ◽  
Jens Fridh

The aspect of hub cavity purge has been investigated in a high-pressure axial low-reaction turbine stage. The cavity purge is an important part of the secondary air system, used to isolate the hot main annulus flow from cavities below the hub level. A full-scale cold-flow experimental rig featuring a rotating stage was used in the investigation, quantifying main annulus flow field impact with respect to purge flow rate as it was injected upstream of the rotor. Five operating speeds were investigated of which three with respect to purge flow, namely a high loading case, the peak efficiency, and a high speed case. At each of these operating speeds, the amount of purge flow was varied across a very wide range of ejection rates. Observing the effect of the purge rate on measurement plane averaged parameters, a minor outlet swirl decrease is seen with increasing purge flow for each of the operating speeds while the Mach number is constant. The prominent effect due to purge is seen in the efficiency, showing a similar linear sensitivity to purge for the investigated speeds. An attempt is made to predict the efficiency loss with control volume analysis and entropy production. While spatial average values of swirl and Mach number are essentially unaffected by purge injection, important spanwise variations are observed and highlighted. The secondary flow structure is strengthened in the hub region, leading to a generally increased over-turning and lowered flow velocity. Meanwhile, the added volume flow through the rotor leads to higher outlet flow velocities visible in the tip region, and an associated decreased turning. A radial efficiency distribution is utilized, showing increased impact with increasing rotor speed.


Author(s):  
Yan Ma ◽  
Guang Xi ◽  
Guangkuan Wu

The present paper describes an investigation of stall margin enhancement and a detailed analysis of the impeller flow field due to self-recirculation casing treatment (SRCT) configuration of a high-speed small-size centrifugal impeller. The influence of different SRCT configurations on the impeller flow field at near-stall condition has been analyzed, highlighting the improvement in stall flow ability. This paper also discusses the influence of the SRCT configurations on the inlet flow angle, inlet swirl velocity and loss distribution in the impeller passage to understand the mechanism of the SRCT configurations in enhancing the stall margin of the impeller. The variation of the bleed flow rate at different operating conditions is also presented in this paper. Finally, the time-averaged unsteady simulation results at near-stall point are presented and compared with steady-state solutions.


Author(s):  
Dilip Prasad ◽  
Gavin J. Hendricks

The flow field in a low-speed turbine stage with a uniform inlet total pressure is studied numerically. A circular hot streak is superposed on the vane inlet flow. In agreement with previous experimental and numerical work, it is observed that while the streak passes through the vane unaltered, significant radial transport occurs in the rotor. Furthermore, despite the unsteady nature of the flow field, the steady theory of Hawthorne (1974) is found to predict the radial transport velocity well. Making use of this theory, it is shown that the secondary vorticity in the rotor may be attributed to the effects of density stratification, the spatial variation of the vane exit flow angle and the relative eddy. It then follows that the extent of radial transport in the rotor may be influenced by altering the vane exit flow angle distribution. The present study examines one means by which this may be effected, viz., varying the vane twist across the span. It is shown that a “reverse” twist, wherein the flow angle at the vane exit is larger near the tip than it is at mid-span reduces the secondary flow (and consequently, radial transport) in the blade passage. On the other hand, “positive” twist, in which the vane exit flow angle decreases with span is found to markedly worsen the radial transport in the blade. It is to be noted that varying the vane twist is but one method to obtain the desired exit flow angle; possibilities for altering other aspects of the vane geometry also exist.


Author(s):  
Sabri Deniz ◽  
Edward M. Greitzer ◽  
Nicholas A. Cumpsty

This is Part 2 of an examination of influence of inlet flow conditions on the performance and operating range of centrifugal compressor vaned diffusers. The paper describes tests of straight-channel type diffuser, sometimes called a wedge-vane diffuser, and compares the results with those from the discrete-passage diffusers described in Part 1. Effects of diffuser inlet Mach number, flow angle, blockage, and axial flow non-uniformity on diffuser pressure recovery and operating range are addressed. The straight-channel diffuser investigated has 30 vanes and was designed for the same aerodynamic duty as the discrete-passage diffuser described in Part 1. The ranges of the overall pressure recovery coefficients were 0.65–0.78 for the straight-channel diffuser and 0.60–0.70 for the discrete-passage diffuser; the pressure recovery of the straight-channel diffuser was roughly 10% higher than that of the discrete-passage diffuser. Both types of the diffusers showed similar behavior regarding the dependence on diffuser inlet flow angle and the insensitivity of the performance to inlet flow field axial distortion and Mach number. The operating range of the straight-channel diffuser, as for the discrete-passage diffusers was limited by the onset of rotating stall at a fixed momentum-averaged flow angle into the diffuser, which was for the straight-channel diffuser, αcrit = 70° ±0.5°. The background, nomenclature and description of the facility and method are all given in Part 1.


2000 ◽  
Vol 122 (4) ◽  
pp. 667-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dilip Prasad ◽  
Gavin J. Hendricks

The flow field in a low-speed turbine stage with a uniform inlet total pressure is studied numerically. A circular hot streak is superposed on the vane inlet flow. In agreement with previous experimental and numerical work, it is observed that while the streak passes through the vane unaltered, significant radial transport occurs in the rotor. Furthermore, despite the unsteady nature of the flow field, the steady theory of Hawthorne (1974) is found to predict the radial transport velocity well. Making use of this theory, it is shown that the secondary vorticity in the rotor may be attributed to the effects of density stratification, the spatial variation of the vane exit flow angle, and the relative eddy. It then follows that the extent of radial transport in the rotor may be influenced by altering the vane exit flow angle distribution. The present study examines one means by which this may be effected, viz., varying the vane twist across the span. It is shown that a “reverse” twist, wherein the flow angle at the vane exit is larger near the tip than it is at midspan, reduces the secondary flow (and consequently, radial transport) in the blade passage. On the other hand, “positive” twist, in which the vane exit flow angle decreases with span, is found to worsen the radial transport in the blade markedly. It is to be noted that varying the vane twist is but one method to obtain the desired exit flow angle; possibilities for altering other aspects of the vane geometry also exist. [S0889-504X(00)00104-5]


Author(s):  
S. Girgis ◽  
E. Vlasic ◽  
J.-P. Lavoie ◽  
S. H. Moustapha

This paper presents results of rig testing of a transonic, single stage turbine with various modifications made to the injection of secondary air into the mainstream. Results show that significant improvements in stage efficiency can be realized by optimizing the injection of upstream disk purge and rotor upstream shroud leakage flow into the mainstream flow. Results of CFD simulations of the rotor upstream disk purge flow test conditions and closely simulated test geometry agree well with test data.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingfeng Cong ◽  
Zhigang Li ◽  
Jun Li

Abstract In the process of turbine acceleration, due to the influence of compressor and complex secondary air system, the change process of coolant purge flow is relatively lagging behind that of mainstream flow and rotational speed. The lagging egress of coolant flow influence the aerodynamic performance and endwall cooling effectiveness of turbine acceleration process. The flow field and aerothermal performance of two-stage axial turbines combined with rim seal structures and coolant purge flow lagging effects in the turbine acceleration process was numerically investigated using Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) via SST turbulence model. The effects of lagging coolant purge flow across the rim seal on the turbine aerodynamics and endwall cooling effectiveness were analyzed. The obtained results show that the turbine aerodynamic efficiency obtains the maximum value when the coolant purge flow lagging time equals to half the acceleration time at the same rotational speed after the end of lagging times. The total-to-total efficiency for the second stage is more sensitive to lagging times. The turbine output power is almost un-changed due to combination of additional work capacity and aerodynamic loss with the introduction of coolant. The turbine endwalls have the maximum averaged cooling effectiveness in the turbine acceleration process without consideration of the coolant purge flow lagging time. And endwall cooling effectiveness decreases with the increase of coolant purge flow lagging time at the same rotational speed and mainstream flow conditions. The detailed flow field of two-stage turbine considering interaction between the coolant purge flow and mainstream was also discussed. The present work provides the reference for the match design between the turbine mainstream flow and secondary air flow system.


2015 ◽  
Vol 77 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. H. Padzillah ◽  
S. Rajoo ◽  
R. F. Martinez-Botas

To date, turbocharger remains as a key enabler towards highly efficient Internal Combustion Engine. Although the first turbocharger was patented more than 30 years ago, the design is still being improved, thus signifying its importance in modern vehicles. One of the key features that contribute to the challenges in designing highly efficient turbine is the complex nature of the flow field within the turbine stage itself. Experimental method could be used to extract parameters such as pressure and temperature traces but still unable to provide a full description of the flow field. Therefore, the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in resolving this issue is necessary. Out of many feature of fluid flow in turbomachinery, the flow angle at rotor inlet plays significant role in determining turbine efficiency. However, due to geometrical complexity, even at optimum averaged incidence flow angle, there still exist variations that could impair the turbine ability to produce work. This research attempts to provide insight on the complexity of flow angle distribution within the turbocharger turbine stage. To achieve this aim, a numerical model of a full stage turbocharger turbine operating at 30000rpm under its optimum condition was developed. Results indicated that even though use of guide vanes has reduced flow angle fluctuations at mid-span of the rotor inlet from ±10° to only ±1°, significant variations still exist for velocity components in spanwise direction. This in turns effected the distribution of incidence flow angle at the rotor leading edge. In the current research, variation of incidence flow angle in spanwise direction is recorded to be as high as 60°.


Author(s):  
Julija Peter ◽  
David Konstantin Tilcher ◽  
Robert Meyer ◽  
Paul Uwe Thamsen

The flow field inside a compressor is characterized by highly unsteady flow effects. Consequently, the performance of a compressor is significantly influenced by the complex flow field. Especially at off-design conditions, flow separation and tip clearance flow cause vortex structures and thus increased losses. The objective of this paper is to give an insight into the effect mechanism of the movable stator vanes as an adaptive system to affect unsteady flow conditions. The experiments were conducted in a stator cascade in a water channel at a Reynolds number of Re = 500 000. Inlet guide vanes with movable flaps were used to simulate the periodic variation of the inlet flow angle. As parameters, the mean stagger angle of the stator cascade as well as the phase shift between the sinusoidal movement of the stator and the inlet guide cascade were varied. By using the optical measurement technique High-Speed Particle Image Velocimetry (HS-PIV), the flow fields upstream and downstream of the stator cascade were captured. Overall, the results revealed that the loss coefficient is strongly dependent on the phase shift between the inlet guide cascade and the stator cascade. Using certain phase shifts, a reduction in losses of up to 20% was achieved by the movable stator cascade.


2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingbo Deng ◽  
Jingyu Ran ◽  
Juntian Niu ◽  
Zhongqing Yang ◽  
Ge Pu ◽  
...  

Abstract In the wet gas desulphurization tower, the uneven distribution of flue gas will have a negative impact on the desulphurization process. The effect should be counterbalanced by increasing the amount of slurry spray, which will increase the operating costs. Adding deflectors will also bring negative effects and increase the expenses. In order to avoid the negative influence, this paper studied the flow field distribution regularities of flue gas in desulfurization tower at different inlet velocities and liquid–gas ratios. Velocity field distribution character was evaluated by uniformity index. The results showed that the flue gas forms a vortex in the tower and a local high-speed gas-flow appears in the empty tower, which led to a poor flow field uniformity. After adding the spray, the flow field is integrated into uniformity. The slurry has obvious integration effect on flue gas. The lower the inlet flue gas velocity is, the higher the velocity uniform index in the desulfurization tower will be, and the heat exchange between the two phases more sufficient. To achieve the same uniformity, the less amount of slurry is required while the inlet velocity is slower. The energy consumption and material consumption of the desulfurization system can be effectively reduced by reducing the import speed reasonably.


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